Wander's End
by Anubus
Summary: My interpretation of the ending to Shadow of the Colossus, and a few extra lines thrown in.  Think of it as a novelization, minus the novel bit XP.  Please R&R and be nice!


-1"Lord Emon!" one of the soldiers shouted. The masked Emon turned just in time to see the statue shine with a brilliant light, and then crumble into boulder-sized debris.

"No..." Emon said in horror. The final seal of the Cursed Land had been broken. He lifted his mask and beheld the scene before him. All sixteen statues of the sacred Colossi were destroyed, boulders and pebbles laying where they once stood solemnly. He followed the hall of broken idols and finally laid his eyes on the temple's altar. On its smooth stone surface laid a young woman in a brilliant white dress. He immediately recognized her: Mono. The cursed girl had been brought here, of all places, by the one who would dare offend the gods this way!

He ordered his men to take place around the altar. He stood before the girl and began to say a prayer, that her soul would not be corrupted by the taint that now undoubtedly filled the land once more. A sound from behind alerted him, and in turn alerted the other men. Sprawled on the temple floor was Wander, a man once under Emon's command. The sacred sword, which had gone missing around the same time as Wander, fell from the open ceiling above them, bounced once on its blade, and stuck into the ground a few feet from Wander.

Pools of darkness appeared on the floor around Wander, which formed into strange, shadowy humanoid figures. Wander stood as they did, his body showing signs of taint and curse.

Emon was enraged by this sight, "I don't believe this... So it was you after all! Have you any idea what you've done! Not only did you steal the sword and trespass upon this cursed land... You used the forbidden spell, as well."

Emon's guards approached Wander, weapons drawn. Emon continued, "To be reduced to such a sight..."

Wander stood, his eyes glazed and staring at Emon.

"You were only being used." the priest said bluntly.

Wander began to limp forward, toward Emon and his men.

"Eradicate the source of the evil." Emon said, as his men aimed their crossbows. "Look. He's possessed by the dead."

Wander still limped closer, the shadowy figures behind him now starting to follow suit.

"Hurry up and do it!"

One of the soldiers fired his bow, hitting Wander in the leg and flooring him quickly. Wander held his leg in agony, and pure darkness poured from his wound.

Emon shook his head in disgrace, "It is better to put him out of his misery, cursed as he is."

Another soldier approached Wander, drawing his sword. He raised the blade and turned it downward, holding it over Wander's chest. With a shout, the soldier drove the blade downward. Blood sprayed out from his wound, and Wander grasped the blade tightly. The soldier stepped back in horror as Wander stood, blood still spraying from his chest.

Wander slowly approached the altar, trying desperately to reach out to the girl on the stone surface, "M-Mono..."

With a grunt, he yanked the sword out of his chest. However, his strength was gone. The taint began to spread through his body. He collapsed, dropping the blade as he fell forward. Darkness enveloped his body, just as it did to the colossi when slain.

Emon stood for a moment, feeling some sympathy toward Wander. The man simply let his emotions get the better of him, and this was the price to pay. He turned back to the girl, Mono, and watched her for a moment. She did not stir. Suddenly one of his guards cried out in horror, and Emon looked to see what was the matter. The shadow that had enveloped Wander was growing, morphing, changing into a giant monster!

The beast grew horns, and two glowing blue eyes appeared on its face. It spoke with the multiple voices of the Dormin, those who had promised Wander to resurrect Mono, "Thou severed Our body into sixteen segments for an eternity in order to seal way Our power. We, Dormin, have arisen anew."

Emon had to look up to see this beast, which nearly reached the ceiling of the temple. He shouted in terror, "He's been resurrected!"

The Dormin smashed its gigantic hand on the ground, shaking the entire structure, "We have borrowed the body of this warrior..."

The shadowy figures from before quickly ran into the larger monster, merging with it. Dormin was complete.

Emon called to his men, "Place a seal over the entire shrine before it's too late!"

The Dormin roared with a bestial rage, slamming its huge fists into the soldiers that were now firing crossbow bolts into its shadowy body. However, behind the Dormin, Emon's soldiers retrieved the sword and started running toward the exit. The Dormin knew that he was fleeing, and what he planned to do. It tried to turn around quickly, but the temple was cramped. _Too_ cramped. It struggled to turn and follow those who betrayed them. Emon and his soldiers reached the winding staircase that Wander and his horse, Agro, had used to bring Mono to the temple.

"Ready my horse." Emon said, watching two of his men go. The soldier that had taken the sword handed it to the priest and followed the other men. Panting from his fatigue, Emon walked to the edge of the staircase, overlooking a small pool of water below. Raising the sword above his head, he shouted, "Be gone, foul beast!"

He hurled the sword down, into the water. The enchanted blade made contact with the pool, and the water started to shine with a radiant light. A gust of wind blew upward through the temple staircase, blowing Emon's hood backward. He gave one final glance downward, and then retreated with his men.

The gust of wind began to invert, becoming a vacuum instead of a gust. The Dormin was being sucked toward the pool of water, its shadowy body deforming and shrinking. It clawed at the ground, trying to hold on, but the wind was too powerful. Soon, all that was left was the cursed body of Wander, who struggled fruitlessly against the wind.

Wander was drawn ever closer to the purified water, where he would undoubtedly be destroyed. He grabbed onto the small stairway that led to the pool, and clung for dear life. He thought that it would eventually subside, but no end was in sight. He started at the altar where Mono lay, motionless and dead. However, he thought he saw a little bit of movement, even though he was so far away.

A single tear escaped his eye, "Mono... Did the Dormin deceive me? Are you still dead?"

He saw Mono's hand move very slightly. It was barely enough for him to be able to see it from the distance he was from her. He smiled. So what if he died? He had told the Dormin that he did not care for his own fate, so long as she got a second chance. He began to loosen his grip, "Goodbye, Mono... You'll never know how much I loved you..."

His hands released the stair, and Wander was pulled into the water. The wind slowed to a stop, and there was silence.

Emon and his men rode away from the temple as quickly as they could. The supports in the bridge, no longer supported by the Dormin's power, began to disintegrate. The bridge collapsed completely, just as the last of Emon's troops made it across.

Very slowly, Mono's eyes opened. After a moment, she sat up and thought aloud, "Where... am I?"

She stood on the temple floor, which was warm from the sun's rays that seemed to endlessly shine upon it. She stepped down from the altar and examined the temple, "I've never... been here before."

The neighing of a horse was heard. Mono looked over to her right to see Agro, Wander's horse, limping up the temple staircase. The horse approached her, and she laid her hands on his muzzle, "Agro... What are you..."

Emon watched as the rest of the bridge crumbled, "Poor ungodly soul... Now no man will ever trespass upon this place again. Should you be alive... If it is even possible to continue to exist in these sealed lands... One day, perhaps you will make atonement for what you have done."

Agro led Mono to the pool of water, which had now dried up. In the water's place was a baby boy with two horns on his head. Mono lifted the child into her arms and said, "Well, I don't know who would leave you here... but I'll take care of you. Don't worry."

Agro led Mono to the winding staircase that Emon and his men had used to escape. After walking up the entirety of the staircase, it was revealed that the collapsing of the bridge had opened a new path, leading even higher up into the temple. Once they reached the top, they beheld a beautiful garden, rich with plants and animals. Out from behind a tree came a little fawn, which had gotten curious about the new visitors. It came right up to Mono, completely unafraid, and sniffed her and the baby in her arms.

There was a fluttering of wings. Out of the flock of doves that had taken flight, a single hawk joined them and then took its own path elsewhere. Mono knew that everything would be alright. She did not remember where she came from, but she would persevere. After all, she had a child to take care of now.

Somewhere deep in the heart of the temple, something stirred. The sword that had sealed the Dormin stood brilliantly, reflecting only a single ray of light. Two bright glowing eyes lit the darkness, and a tendril of darkness slithered around the sword's blade. The darkness began to seep into the sword, making the smallest of cracks in its blade.

"We will not be contained so easily, human. You have sealed Our bodies, but only for so long... Unlike you, We exist eternally..."

The cry of a hawk was heard in the distance, and the sky looked threatening for a storm.


End file.
